All posts by Francis Mitterrand

Auctions, News

2000 Ferrari 550 Maranello is up for auction

In 1996, at the Nürburgring racing circuit in Germany, Ferrari unveiled its new sports car, the Ferrari 550 Maranello. The car was produced until 2001 when it was replaced by the 575M Maranello. 3,083 cars left the production line and one of them, the 2000 Ferrari 550 Maranello, is up for auction.

550 Maranello is powered by a 5.5-liter quad-cam F133A V12 engine with 478 hp (357 kW) and 419 lb-ft (568 Nm) of torque. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a 6-speed manual transaxle and a limited-slip differential. It reaches 62 mph in 4.4 seconds with a top speed of 199 mph (320 km/h). It is mounted on 19-inch Novitec double-spoke alloy wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Rosso tires.

This car is finished in Rosso Corsa, has been well maintained and is in good condition. It is equipped with fog lights, a hood scoop, a front spoiler, front fender vents, Scuderia Ferrari fender shields, quad exhaust tips exiting through the rear bumper cover and red-finished Ferrari-branded calipers over cross-drilled and ventilated rotors at all four corners.

Inside, the seats are trimmed in Beige Tradizione leather with black accents. Beige leather covers the lower part of the dashboard, door panels and center console, while the steering wheel is wrapped in black leather. Additional equipment includes automatic climate control, electric windows, an Alpine stereo, a hi-fi sound system, a diamond-quilted parcel shelf, and rear luggage straps. Signs of wear are noted on the outer driver’s seat bolster. The clock shows 16,774 miles.

The car has a clean Carfax report that shows no accidents or other damage. It comes with the owner’s manual, tools, keys, a car cover and a clean California title in the seller’s name.

The auction ends on December 27th and the current highest bid is $120,000 USD.

Gallery:

2000 Ferrari 550 Maranello is up for auction

Source: Bring a Trailer

News

Off-road Tesla Model Y

At a time when manufacturers of super fast cars are entering the world of all-terrain vehicles, some still remain loyal to tradition. One of them is Tesla, which, as things stand now, will not yet present an all-terrain edition. However, if you were wondering what such a Tesla would look like, the answer is provided by the German tuner Delta4x4, which revealed its vision of the off-road Tesla Model Y.

The tuner did not work on major changes. The suspension has received an additional 35 mm of height so that the car is 220 mm off the ground, making it suitable for all terrains. This change also required new tires, so the Model Y received a set of 20-inch Klassik_B rims wrapped in 265/45R20 Continental Cross Contact ATR tires. Additional equipment includes the installation of a large roof rack with LED light bar, new circular lights on the front fascia and wider front and rear wheel arches.

The powertrain was not changed, and there was no need. Tesla Model Y is powered by two electric motors with 450 hp (336 kW) and 471 lb-ft (639 Nm) of torque. It reaches 60 in 3.5 seconds with a top speed of 155 mph (241 km/h). It is equipped with a 75 kWh battery pack that provides a range of 298 miles (480 km).

How much this modification will affect Tesla to produce an all-terrain vehicle based on one of its super fast cars remains to be seen.

Gallery:

Off-road Tesla Model Y

Source: Carscoops

News

Kia and Hyundai records sales growth in Europe

The end of the year is approaching, and some car manufacturers are announcing their business results for the past month, such as Hyundai and KIA, which recorded an increase in sales of their vehicles compared to last year. As part of the Hyundai Motor Group, both companies achieved sales of 986,860 vehicles in Europe, which is 4.6% more than in the same month last year.

Although delivery problems and a shortage of semiconductors, caused by the war in Ukraine, affected many manufacturers, KIA still managed to deliver 509,193 vehicles in 11 months of this year. Hyundai was slightly less successful with 477,667 vehicles delivered. That was enough for third place in terms of sales success in Europe, while Volkswagen with 2.52 million vehicles sold and Stellantis with 1.89 million vehicles were the most successful.

When it comes to the market share, both companies hold a solid 9.7 percent, and given the achieved result, it can be expected to soon exceed 10 percent. The best-selling KIA Sportage model, as well as the Ceed models (+ Ceed SW, ProCeed, XCeed), which are produced in a factory in Slovakia, contributed the most to this success.

At the end of 2006, Kia opened a factory in Slovakia (Žilina) with a capacity of 330,000 vehicles per year, while Hyundai Motor has been producing its vehicles in the Czech Republic (Nošovice) since 2008.

Source: KIA